Red Eyed Thunderstorms
by if.the.plane.goes.down
Summary: Sometimes chaos is only a thunderstorm away. You never know when your last night might be.


When she allowed herself to drift off into deep sleep, which wasn't often at all, Kushina Uzumaki was a rock.

A lovely one at that ,Minato Namikaze thought to himself. She lay, an ethereal vision of porcelain skin wrapped in the bindings of their bed sheet. Almost like a tortured spirit, with her limbs, long and lean, flung out and about. Distended though like the petals of a flower just bursting into bloom. And he knew she was peaceful. He'd have it no other way.

Her face was turned away from him, but her hair, a vibrant crimson red, was like a beacon in the thick darkness. Her tousled bangs gave way to the slim beams of her sharp ivory cheekbones, jutting up at him. Testament to her defiant nature. Her eyes were closed. A fine sheen of sweat glistening over her brow.

He knew that when those passive eyelids flickered open, the irises beneath them were the most mesmerizing green he had ever seen. Like grass stalks, fresh and vibrant in the Summer. He knew those eyes could become the sharp deadly abysses of a trained kunoichi, pulling unsuspecting prey into their depths. Or just as easily the languid sultry irises of a lover. Of a wife.

"My wife." he murmured into the silence, palpitated by the stillness of her even breaths. The word was still awkward to him. The idea was still foreign like stepping into a new pair of shoes. He'd have to wriggle around, wear her down until the mold marriage had created fit both of them. There would be some grueling adjustments, but she knew how he was. How he worked. Which was the scariest part of things for him. That someone in a separate body, with separate thoughts, and separate desires could finish his sentences for him. Could know what he wanted when he wanted it, and need it more than he did.

And he'd do anything for her.

Especially now in the honeymoon phase of their love. Because he knew, even if she didn't, that **T**hey wouldn't last. He was Hokage and immortality sounded nice, but it was impossible.

Sex was tiresome to him. His body was worn, even in it's youth, from years of harrowing missions. And the hours of sitting behind mountains and mountains of paperwork making this decision after that decision tended to drain him. But it was whatever she wanted. And she didn't make it to hard on him. She _was_ a very beautiful woman.

Allowing himself a breath of tenderness, he let his eyes take her in. Walking paths down the contours of her back. Down the lean strong rods of her legs and thighs.

He loved women in general. But there was something specifically lovely about her. He loved her and he loved the way she felt in his arms. The firmness of her lithe body. The fullness of her milk white breasts. The feminine roundness of her belly. Still soft and receding after just giving birth to their son days before.

He took her apart, and put her back together with his eyes. He remembered her moonlit half smile when pleasure overcame her. The way she threw her head back with abandon and whispered his name. He felt overcome with emotion for her. He moved closer to her, almost panicked with the need to touch her.

He wrapped his arms around her supple frame, and breathed relief into the hollow of her neck. She stirred. He watched her face, watched the shadows flicker their way across her beauty. He kissed the side of her face and buried his nose in her skin. He could smell himself and his passion on her. And wished he had more to give her.

Minato moved to embrace her tighter, to almost pull her into his body and hold her.

And something pulled in his shoulder.

An aggravated injury from a mission he'd embarked on months before. Never really healed. The pain came back, then so sharp and quick that he was forced to bite back a scream. Grunted instead, closed his eyes, gritting his teeth until the radiation stopped throbbing out it's protests. When he could move again he released his grip on Kushina, and jerked away from her, taking himself to the opposite side of the bed.

And that's when he knew it wasn't going to work.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, when he'd accepted the Hokage robe and hat, he'd known that the weight of the village might be too heavy for him. Might crush him under it's immensity. And he was ready for that. He had planned it all out. Everything from the first moment he took his seat at the big wooden desk to the moment when he'd be extinguished like a light and only the robe and hat were left among all the other things. Both immortalizing and erasing him completely in lieu of the next Hokage.

Only Kushina Uzumaki, the ruddy redheaded spitfire, had not been part of that plan.

And even after she had captured his heart and he had made room for all of that, their now day old son had not been part of_**that**_ plan. But now he had both of them to deal with. Both of them to love. Both of them to lose.

If they didn't lose him first.

Minato sighed into the quiet. He gently pushed the covers back from himself and left the bed, manuvering carefully in the darkness. He could remember the less complicated days when he was just **SENSEI** and not **LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD**. When he lived alone, and his only joys had been the blatant smile of the sweet girl with the purple cheeks, the begrudging genius of the caustic silver haired boy, and the orange colored optimism of the tiny Uchiha kid.

Thinking of _**him**_ still stung worse than he expected it would. Today, picturing the calm features of the silver haired boy, he knew that the child still blamed himself. Minato sometimes wondered what if he had been there. Gotten there just in time to prevent it all. If he had only lived up to his name. Rescued them in a flash.

The one time he had ever in his life been late for anything and...

It was this that led him to seek out the role of Hokage. The chance to bind war and save the innocent bloodshed. He knew deep down in his bones that he was destined to change their village. May'be their world in some way. And if it wasn't destiny then he would fight to make it happen. Considering his wife and son his thoughts were selfish, but his greatest wish was to end up on the Hero's Stone. If only to cleanse his bloodied hands of the little who was not meant to be there.

His son was resting idle in his crib, thumb in his little pink mouth. Having sweet dreams he hoped. He kissed the child on it's blonde head, pulled apart the screen doors, and plunged out onto the balcony.

The day was a faded grey. Like someone had sponged up and ashtray with the clouds. They hung morbid and low to the ground. He couldn't smell rain. But he knew it would come. From his perch high above the village streets he could make out every unique shape and the faint strains of the forest trees in the distance. It was the time of day when the streets begin to empty, and the sun sinks down deep into it's casket to darkly await resurrection.

The morbidity of his thoughts frightened Minato intensely. He thought again of the Hero's Stone. Of the deep wet earth and couldn't imagine it closing over his body. Sealing him away for all eternity. And when he really focused on it he didn't know if he could really go through with it.

His speed was a defense mechanism. A way of ensuring that he would never taste the bite of a kunai. That he would never falter and die. He had taught himself this under cowardice disguised as genius. Bit his lip thinking how no one had seen through his ruse.

It was one thing to be afraid. But he was terrified of death. Unsettled with it. Ninja were not supposed to be this way, but he was fully aware of his flesh. Fully aware that his flesh could ache. That his muscles could snap. That his bones, brittle could break and decay.

He swallowed an iron lump in his throat and thought of all the stong sturdy shinobi worthier of the hat and robe than he. He who had failed a boy who's small face still danced in his dreams. And sometimes rested on his wife's shoulders and strayed over his son's crib as he slept.

"Something wrong?"

She scared the devil out of him. Crept up behind him like a thief, like a kunoichi and wrapped her arms firmly around his waist. His heart rate pumped to the point of implosion with fear, but he didn't react to it. Instead he closed his eyes and savored her presence. Her almost naked body fit like a companionable puzzle piece against his. Her cool cheek pressing against his broad shoulder. Her heart throbbing against his and the guilty as sin scent of her, of their love lingering on her flesh. Reminding him how much he cared about her.

She kissed between his shoulder blades and the patience of her lingering lips sent chills down his spine. He took her fingers carefully and kissed each one. She sighed into the shoulder wound like a thick band across his arm and clung to him like a needy child clings to it's mother.

And he wondered at her strength. If she could stand alone without him. And he marveled at her closeness. And if he couldn't imagine being put down into the ground, he wouldn't let himself imagine the same thing happening to her. Protecting the village meant keeping safe the woman he loved and held in his arms every night, and the child that love had born between them. And Minato knew at that moment that he would do anything to keep them safe.

Even if it meant sacrificing himself.

He took his wife by the wrists and pulled her around to the front of him so that he could look at her. She was radiant. And he couldn't imagine ever being without her.

He'd die first.

He said jokingly "You have to love me. I'm Hokage."

She smiled saucily. "Keep thinking that, babe." and put a simple kiss on his aching lips.

He would be a hero for her. He just need to figure out how.

At that moment a sound pierced the sky like the Earth might splinter and fall apart. Minato stiffened, and felt himself slide into deadly shinobi mode.

Kushina lifted her head and laughed raw and belly deep. "Relax, your Hokage-ship. Just a thunderstorm traveling our way."

He felt taut like a rubberband stretched too far. He felt the tension release. Then he felt silly. He laughed. She gave him a wry look.

"I don't know about you, but I don't do well in water. I'm heading in." She stood on her tiptoes again to give him a slower deeper kiss, and when she pulled away her eyes were languid and beguiling.

"Come back to bed quickly, my love. The baby's restlessness won't wait up for long...and neither will I." She sauntered off.

And he stood on the balcony pondering.

He loved the taste of her on his lips. The smell of her skin. He stared out wistfully into the village, rubbing his sullen shoulder. As he turned to go there was another loud boom and miles away in the far distance he thought he saw a flash of something weirdly red. Like the flicker of a...giant...ruby...tail over the distant treetops.

He frowned.

He blinked rubbing his eyes.

And then it was gone.

He waited.

Another boom came, and then Minato felt his energy leave him and he turned to go back in to his wife. It had probably just been a flash of lightning cutting into a forest tree and setting it on fire. The devilish red eyed ferocity of the storm.

And if that was the case then there was no cause for concern because the storm was miles away.

--

Well, for those of you who like this thingy. I was reading alot of kilerki's stories(i think thats how you spell it ??) on here. And I loved the attention to minor characters. Thus I was inspired to do a little Minato. Because I love him and the series doesn't give him enough credit. Please R&R, let me hear from you, baby. .


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